THE Dangote Petroleum Refinery has reversed its decision to suspend the sale of petrol in naira following the intervention of the Federal Government’s naira-for-crude technical committee.
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In a notice to marketers on Saturday, September 27, the company said sales of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) in naira would resume immediately.
The memo directed marketers to proceed with fresh orders for self-collection or delivery to designated depots nationwide.
The announcement came less than 24 hours after the refinery informed its customers that it could no longer sustain transactions in local currency, citing the exhaustion of its crude-for-naira allocation. That earlier notice had advised customers to request refunds of payments already made in naira.
“You may kindly proceed to place your orders in naira for both self-collection and free delivery of PMS to the earlier advised locations across the country. Thank you for your continued patronage,” the memo read.
Industry observers had warned that the suspension could trigger another spike in pump prices, as the shift to dollar transactions would raise operating costs.
A similar pause in March this year pushed petrol prices close to N1,000 per litre.
The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and its affiliate union, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), have also been at odds with the refinery over alleged mass sackings.
PENGASSAN accused the company of terminating the appointments of more than 800 Nigerian staff who joined the union, while retaining over 2,000 expatriates.
The General Secretary of PENGASSAN, Lumumba Okugbawa, said the dismissals followed the submission of a membership list to management. The union described the move as a breach of workers’ rights to freedom of association and threatened to picket the facility despite a court order against such action.
In response, the refinery dismissed the allegations, describing the retrenchment as part of an internal reorganisation to address safety concerns. It maintained that over 3,000 Nigerians are still on its payroll and that fresh recruitment of local staff is ongoing.
The refinery said it respects internationally recognised labour rights and insisted that its workforce is free to decide whether to join a union.
The resumption of naira-denominated sales comes as government officials continue efforts to stabilise fuel supply and prevent fresh disruptions in the downstream sector.
A reporter with the ICIR
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